Knee injury + surgery! He fell down before the fight started, the most overrated superstar in the NBA, and he was exposed after leaving Harden

Editor|Lao Kankanqiu

Since the launch of the NBA free market, most teams in the league have made trade reinforcements. Several Western teams such as the Rockets, Nuggets, and Clippers are among the best, becoming the favorites for the championship in the first echelon of the new season. Of course, there are also many teams who have failed to complete reinforcement due to various factors. For example, the Golden State Warriors' reinforcement progress has fallen into a deadlock due to the contract renewal of Kumingga, which has made the management frustrated. The Philadelphia 76ers are not very active this offseason. Compared with last summer, there are basically no big moves, but the team's lineup strength cannot be underestimated. With the support of three giants Embiid, Paul George and Maxi, I won the Tanhua Show VJ Edgecombe this summer, which is quite like a superstar. Xia Lian's performance is also excellent, making all fans look forward to the performance in Philadelphia in the new season.

However, just recently, a sudden and important news broke the fantasy of 76 people. According to NBA famous reporter Shams Charania, George underwent arthroscopy of his left knee without any warning, and his return date was "undetermined". The 76ers team doctor then revealed: After the operation is completed, the team has announced that George will miss all offseason activities and will not be able to assess the recovery situation at the earliest until the training camp begins. This also means that at the beginning of the new season, fans will continue to see the "famous scene" of the maximum-paid star "in suit".

What's even more heartbreaking is that this is the third time that George has suffered a major injury in the past year in the past year - the first two were bone contusions (bone contusions last October and another injury in November). This time he was upgraded to arthroscopic surgery and he lay directly on the operating table. He fell down before the new season even started. He is really the most overrated superstar in the NBA.

It has to be said that the Philadelphia management was cheated. When George refused to execute the contract option in the summer of 2024 and chose to leave the Clippers as a free agent, 76ers general manager Morey (who originally renewed the contract and cheated him of his salary cut) did not hesitate to throw out a four-year, $212 million super maximum salary contract, thinking that he had gained a treasure from poaching. The team management even fantasized that the nine-time All-Star could become the perfect puzzle around Embiid and Maxi, leading the team to the championship. However, reality gave 76 people a loud slap.

data does not lie. In his first season with the 76ers' jersey, George handed over the worst report card of his career: he averaged only 16.2 points per game, his shooting percentage dropped to 43.0%, his three-point shooting percentage was less than 35.8%, and his real shooting percentage dropped to 54.3%. What's even more eye-catching is that the former top scorer scored 30 points in just three times in the season, and the average number of free throws per game fell to 2.4 times - the lowest since the 2010-11 season.

And this is in the sharpest contrast with his last season with the Clippers: in the 2023-24 season, with Harden's support, George averaged 22.6 points per game, with the three shooting percentages being a career-high 47.1%/41.3%/90.7%, and his real shooting percentage was as high as 61.3%. In one year, the real shooting rate plummeted by 7 percentage points, a decline that is rare in NBA history.

George's cliff-like decline in the 76ers reveals the key factor behind his success in the Clippers - James Harden's system bonus. During the Clippers' time, George personally admitted: "Since I came here (joined the Clippers), I have never seen anyone who can send so many passes that are hanging directly under the basket."

Harden's system obscured George's weakness. During the Clippers' time, the team played top performance in the league for one and a half months, and the core tactic at that time was to hand the ball over to Harden. After leaving this system, George was forced to assume more responsibility for holding the ball in the 76ers, and his efficiency plummeted. His dribbling breakthrough explosive power dropped significantly, and when the defender no longer feared his breakthrough, his jump shot space was also compressed. In addition, George needs to undertake organizational tasks beyond his ability, which completely exposes his shortcomings in the ball-holding end. I have to say that the Clippers were so comfortable being fed by Harden, and now they have been completely exposed after leaving Harden.

Naturally, injuries became George's last fig leaf. Throughout the 2024-25 season, George's attendance rate was seriously insufficient (only played 41 games):

—October overstretched left knee in 5 games;

—November another injury to the same knee in 3 games;

—November 9 games due to a left pinky injury in January;

—November 4 games due to a groin injury in March.

Most importantly, George will take $162 million from 76 people in the next three years. Coupled with Embiid's remaining 242 million super maximum salary and Maxi's new contract, the salary of the Big Three is completely locked in the salary cap.

Salary expert Bobby Max listed the data that is even more suffocating: In the 2025-26 season, Embiid + George will account for 90% of the salary cap, and with Maxi's maximum salary, the team's luxury tax bill will exceed $90 million. This sky-high bill is exchanged for:

—The three giants only combined for 15 games last season;

—The team won 23 and lost 55 to the bottom of the East;

—The team lost 14.3 points against teams with a winning rate of more than 50%.

What's more ironic is that when George joined Philadelphia, he once said that he would "take Embiid to win the championship", but the two of them only played 17 times. When the three Eastern Conference superstars Tatum, Lillard and Halliburton were reimbursed for the season, it was supposed to be a good opportunity for the 76ers to compete for the championship, George lay back on the hospital bed.

The most desperate thing is that the 76ers have to pay the most expensive price to even show off their losses. On the 2028 payroll, 38-year-old George will receive $57.24 million, while 35-year-old Embiid will take $67.18 million away. These two poison contracts are like a pair of shackles, locking Philadelphia's future in injuries and financial deficits.